The 8 | April 27, 2018

1. Frantastic: Minority franchise ownership is on the rise. A recent article in Black Enterprise noted that 30.8 percent of franchises are minority owned, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 Survey of Business Owners. That’s up from 20.5 percent in 2007. Black franchise ownership has also seen a 60 percent gain between 2007 and 2012, with local owners breaking into segments like senior care, fitness and auto care.

2. Franlebrity: In keeping with our recent theme, this week’s Franlebrities are the 2018 Franchise Legal Players that have been featured on 1851’s main site recently. Head to 1851 to learn more about what makes Earsa Jackson, Ronald K. Gardner, Catherine Riesterer, Dan Warshawsky, Pete Dosik, Elizabeth Sigety, Scott McIntosh, Jason Murray and Douglas Ferguson ones to watch.

3. Frash Money: Restaurant brands looking to experience growth and make more Frash Money may want to turn to a new tech solution: MarketMan. The inventory management system is designed to help restaurants streamline their back-of-house operations with the ultimate goal of making businesses run smoother.

4. Frant of the Week: As No Limit Agency* CEO Nick Powills points out in his latest Frant, one of the biggest challenges facing franchise sales teams is marketing. That’s because there’s this perception that when it comes to the candidate’s journey, the purchasing decision is as simple as X=Y. However, there are a lot of factors that are often untracked that go into determining why an entrepreneur invests in a franchise. The long sought after unicorn in franchise sales is ultimately the blend of a lot of little things working together.

5. Franch Forward: Consumer confidence is continuing to rise after reaching its highest level since late 2000 in February. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index reached 128.7 in April, which indicates that consumers are optimistic about jobs, the economy and their finances. Rising consumer confidence means that U.S. economic growth is likely to see an uptick, which can be a good sign for businesses trying to Franch Forward.

6. Fran Funny: How many marketers does it take to screw in a lightbulb? None — they’ve automated it.

7. Franspiration: “Franchising is wonderful because it enables people to go out on their own and support their families through their own independent business. Through franchising, a person can gain greater autonomy, flexibility and personal wealth.” - 2018 Franchise Legal Player Kathryn Shipe on why she loves her career.

8. Franemies vs. Frands: If you’ve ever found yourself wishing that Amazon could deliver right to the trunk of your car, you’re about to make a new Frand. The e-commerce giant announced that in-car delivery will now be available in 37 U.S. cities for people with compatible Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and Volvo cars. The move comes after Amazon unveiled its in-home delivery option, and is another indicator that convenient delivery options are top of mind for today’s consumers.